A polymorphism in IL4 may associate with sensory neuropathy in African HIV patients

► IL4−590*T associated with increased risk of HIV neuropathy in Black Africans. ► Alleles of IL1 did not associate with HIV neuropathy. ► IL10 haplotypes did not associate with HIV neuropathy either. Animal and in vitro models of HIV-associated sensory neuropathy suggest an inflammatory etiology. Previous genetic association studies of HIV-SN have been in small Caucasian or Asian cohorts. We assessed cytokine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a Black Southern African cohort. 342 black HIV-positive Southern Africans were recruited. 190 individuals had HIV-associated sensory neuropathy and 152 did not. DNA samples from all participants were genotyped for cytokine SNPs identified in studies of HIV disease and/or neuropathy. IL4−590*T associated with an increased prevalence of HIV-SN including following correction for age, height and CD4 T-cell count. No other cytokine SNPs assessed displayed an association. We identified a novel association between IL4−590*T and HIV-SN in African HIV-positive patients which warrants further investigation.